Boy Meets World series follows decline of good TV

My girlfriend more or less forced me to watch "Boy Meets World" with her, which was only fair since I made her watch "Ancient Aliens" (we're not alone!) for days on end. 

We picked up somewhere in season six, each armed with quite a bit of memory from our time watching as kids. I watched begrudgingly, but I found myself slowly coming around and enjoying the show. You have to understand what the show is, then go from there. 

It's a young adult show dealing with the emotion pangs of growing up. And there's a lot of romance.  

Season six was really smart at delivering jokes, paying off emotional hang ups. 

I literally laughed out loud more during episodes of "Boy Meets World" more so than just about any adult comedy I know of now. The main performances are actually pretty strong and the dialogue is surprisingly sharp. 

Nowadays, young adult shows live inanity, toiling away at over-the-top contrived horrendous slapstick. 

"Boy Meets World," however, was actually funny when it needed to be funny and awkwardly poignant when it needed to be dramatic. Those are notes young adults just can't hit.

And then season seven happened. Season six's finale ended on a cliffhanger where Topanga's happily-married parents (so she thought) unveiled their impending divorce. 

Season seven starts, though, with the very next episode featuring two completely different people playing Topanga's parents. That would be forgivable had the writing stayed on-point. It didn't. 

For whatever reason, season seven is loaded with the same inanity plaguing young adult TV. Eric goes from naïve to downright mentally-challenged. 

He loses money and sets fires without impunity, laughing about it all the way.

It was certainly disappointing to go from begrudging viewer to genuine enjoyer to spurned malcontent. 

Season seven certainly indicated a shift in tone and a disregard for intelligent, mature writing. It also helped display how got where we are today with young adult TV.

It's a shame, but there were a few short years where kids could grow up watching a show that actually took their lives as seriously as the kids themselves took them. 

There was a perfect balance in the middle of carefree spontaneity and the feeling every moment was the last you'd ever have. 

Now, TV shows these lives to be way too serious or way too ridiculous. 

There's no way to relate, anymore. Or to remotely enjoy them. 

Thank you and damn you, "Boy Meets World."